As the South Korean army laid to rest the two servicemen killed by North Koreas shelling of Yeonpyeong island near a disputed sea border, thousands of marines are calling for a thousandfold revenge.
The two South Korean marines killed in the exchange of fire, the most serious since the 1953 armistice, were buried Saturday amid vast anti-North Korean protests, which were attended by thousands of marines calling for the presidential palace in Pyongyang to be bombed.
At the highest levels of the countrys military, emotions ran strong as well.
All Marines, including Marines on service and reserve Marines, will avenge the two at any cost, said Lieutenant General Yoo Nak Joon, commander of the South Korean Marine Corps.
In a move intended to be a strong statement of resolve, the United States and South Korea have announced that joint naval exercises will be carried out near the disputed sea border, with the aircraft carrier USS George Washington en-route.
North Korea has condemned the move as irresponsible and accused the US and South Korea of taking the region to the brink of all out war. China has criticised the US and South Korea as well, though less stridently, calling for an end to any further military provocation.
The top priority now is to keep the situation under control and to ensure such events do not happen again, said a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.